Statement from Sterling Belliveau on legal proceedings related to the owner-operator policy

February 28, 2017

For immediate release.

SHELBURNE – NDP Critic for Fisheries and Aquaculture Sterling Belliveau made the following statement on current federal legal proceedings to challenge the owner-operator policy:

The owner-operator policy has been around for decades. It is critical for the survival of the independent fisher. If we allow this policy to erode, there will be a direct, negative impact on the independent fishery that has been the backbone of rural communities across Nova Scotia for generations. Governments need to ensure that the owner-operator policy is maintained so that the benefits derived from our fishery flow directly to local economies in our coastal communities, not foreign companies who may take their profits elsewhere.